Belkin, a household name in the world of smartphone accessories and chargers, has today announced a shift in the materials used in many of its most popular products in a bid to be more eco-friendly.
The company revealed that the new material set to clad many of its products is made from 73-75% post-consumer recycled plastics (PCR), essentially taking the plastic waste from consumers destined for landfill and turning it into something useful. That’s something we can all get behind with an estimated 347 tonnes of single-use plastic going to landfills in 2021.
In a similar vein, the company will also be ditching all plastic from the packaging, further reducing the amount of material used – a particularly smart move when packaging is usually immediately thrown away upon unboxing.
Together, Belkin estimates that the changes will save 7,000 metric tons of carbon emissions and reduce CO2-eq emissions for the specific products by a whopping 67%. It’s certainly a big change, and that’ll take some time – Belkin aims to roll out the changes across 2023, with the aim of being 100% carbon neutral by 2023.
The question is, which Belkin products are getting the upgrade to the more responsible, eco-friendly material? The accessory maker has confirmed that the following products will ship with the new PCR material in the first half of 2023, with more to follow later in the year:
- Boost Charge Magnetic Car Vent Mount
- Boost Charge USB-C PD 3.0 PPS Wall Charger 25W
- Boost Charge Dual USB-C PD Wall Charger 40W
- Boost Charge PRO 4-Port GaN Charger 108W
- Boost Charge PRO Dual USB-C GaN Wall Charger with PPS 45W
- Boost Charge PRO Dual USB-C GaN Wall Charger with PPS 65W
Don’t expect the quality or durability of Belkin products using the new PCR material to be any different to that currently available either, with Belkin claiming there’s “little difference between existing Belkin products and Belkin PCR products”.
In fact, the only giveaway that it’s made from recycled materials should be the packaging, with “Made with Recycled Plastic Products” and “100% Plastic Free Packaging” proudly displayed on the box.
“When we think about the difference a company of our size and influence can make on the planet, moving away from using virgin plastics in our products is an obvious decision,” said Belkin CEO Steve Malony.
Will Belkin’s renewed focus on eco-friendly materials make you more tempted to go for a Belkin-branded accessory in future? Or does it still come down to the all-important price? Let us know what you think on Twitter.
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Author: Lewis Painter, Contributor
Lewis Painter was once a Tech Advisor Senior Staff Writer. He covers everything from iPhone to AirPods, plus a range of smartphones, tablets, laptops and gaming hardware.